Bayonne

Bayonne, town in south-western France, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Department of the Aquitaine administrative region, a port at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers near the Bay of Biscay. Part of the French Basque country (Pays Basque), it is a metallurgical and fishing centre. Its famous cathedral is of 13th-century origin, and the fashionable resort of Biarritz is nearby. Called Lapurdum in Roman times, the town passed to the French crown in 1451. The bayonet was probably invented here. Population 44,300 (2005 estimate).